Outside of the sphere of international rugby, Flowers maintains a hectic sporting lifestyle as a PE teacher at Radyr Comprehensive School in Cardiff. This is largely unsurprising as her sporting credentials run much further than the oval ball game; Flowers has represented South Wales in Hockey and was also a Welsh Schools Athlete. Despite the many responsibilities in school she undoubtedly has to juggle, Flowers has recently set up an Under 14 girls’ rugby team after encouraging the female pupils in her school to get more actively involved in the sport that she represents at the highest level.
“I started an after-school session last year and it’s been well attended ever since,” commented Flowers. “I have anything up to twenty girls attending the training sessions on a Friday night who are really committed.”
Since setting up these extra curricular classes last year, the squad has witnessed great success. “Two players have played for the East Wales U14 side. This proves that the talent is out there to be found, if only the opportunities are provided for skills to be developed in the first place,” she says.
Flowers alludes to Molly Atkins and Natalie Capel who represented East Wales last season, with Atkins receiving a call-up to the Under 14 side once more this season. Radyr have also enjoyed immense success this season, as they have made the finals of the South Wales Schools 10s tournament, to be staged next Wednesday (February 27th) at Dunvant RFC. Flowers’s success with coaching these rugby sessions, in which she was aided by two able sixth formers David Gibbon and Nicholas Jones, has flourished outside of the school grounds.
Following the popularity of the after-school classes, the girls involved put pressure on their local rugby club to initiate a side within their youth structure, resulting in the setting up of an Under 14 girls’ side at Pentyrch RFC. The club now also run an Under 17 side for the further development of girls’ rugby, and incidentally, members of the Under 14 side are the ball girls at today’s match. These youth opportunities were virtually non-existent when Flowers was the age of her pupils, which is perhaps one of the reasons why she’s so driven in encouraging her young charges.
“It was unheard of for girls to play rugby at that age when I was younger,” states Flowers. “I started when I was 21, and in university. It’s just so important to establish skills at a younger age, ultimately for the benefit of the game in Wales.”
Although the after-school sessions are still in their infancy, Radyr Girls have already participated in a competitive environment further afield. A team from the school entered the WRU Women’s National Junior 7s Tournament that was held at Llandovery RFC last season. Despite the competition ultimately being dominated by the more-established sides, Radyr showed great enthusiasm and potential for the future.
Flowers has been aided in her development of the school side with help from WRU Women’s Elite Manager Sophie Bennett. Bennett donated kit previously used by the East Wales regional side for the school as they lacked any sporting kit; as Flowers reasons, it was unreasonable to expect the youngsters to purchase their own given the relatively little time dedicated to girls’ rugby in the curriculum.
Flowers has secured sponsors who have provided extra items of clothing to aid the girls’ development: Corporate Safety, a Protective Clothing Manufacturers and Wholesalers company based in Gwaelod y Garth, have provided the girls with playing shirts whilst BETS Garage have sponsored waterproof tops and bottoms.
Women’s Elite Manager Bennett continued, “For the national side to flourish it is essential that the game at community level is encouraged to ensure there are enough young players continually coming through the ranks. That’s why it is excellent to have somebody at Clare’s level of the game encouraging this development, which will ensure the continuation and growth of women’s and girls’ rugby in Wales.”
Radyr Girls Under 14 got a taste of Women’s international rugby in November 2007 as they were ball girls for Wales Women’s match against Canada Women at Taffs Well RFC, in which their teacher gained her halfcentury appearance. Flowers adds, “It was a great experience for the squad to be ball girls in the match as it gave them an opportunity to see what they can aspire to, and I do believe that some of them have the potential to reach the very top of the game.”
Ahead of this afternoon’s Women’s Six Nations clash with Italy Women, Flowers is upbeat and positive that Wales Women can build on the third position attained in last year’s championship: “I honestly believe that within our squad we have the potential to do very well in the championship. We don’t go into matches thinking that we can’t win against the opposition, you shouldn’t compete in sport if you think like that!”
That attitude is sure to rub off on Flowers’s pupils, who can look forward to further development under their star teacher. She is already planning another fixture for her young team, against an Under 14 school side coached by former teammate and now attached forwards coach to the Wales Women international squad, Liza Burgess, who teaches at The Castle School in Thornbury. A small part of the future of the Women’s game in Wales, it would seem, is in the best possible hands.
